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Clyde72's Shaving Journal
- Thread starter clyde72
- Start date
Happy Birthday Craig some fabulous setups. I got a bit excited when I saw the black handle Gillette adjustable if it was a C date code with the plastic base I am in great need of it but Z code alas!
Wow! That was a whirlwind! But some really good shaves and some really good scents! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRAIG!
Thanks Chris
Thank Chad!
Thanks TJ!
Thanks Chris!
Thanks Tim!
Thanks Don!
Thanks Eric!
So it turns out that 3 of the members of "The Order of The Dram" (the group of us that get together every 2 months or so and enjoy what everyone brings to the table) have almost consecutive birthdays. Robert's was on the 11th, Harry's was on the 13th, and mine was on the 15th. Seeing as how the 11th was a Saturday "The Order of The Dram" decided to have a Birthday gathering for us. Here is what was on the table that night. It was a great celebration!
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5-17-2019
Straight Razor Shave #291
Razor: Allegany Instrument Corp. WP
Brush: Wolf Whiskers Bishop "Party on Bourbon Street" with Elite Razor 28mm Manchurian White Knot
Soap: Soap Commander Respect
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: Soap Commander Respect Aftershave Spash
Cologne: Guerlain Homme L'eau Boisee EdT
Soap Commander Respect satisfied the Lime craving for today's shave. Of course there was no issues in whipping up a great lather. Typically great Soap Commander performance as expected.
The AIC was a needing a refresh and I wound up having to take it back to the Shapton Pro 8K and then 12K. Finishing it with the Translucent Arkansas. A good stropping and time for the shave test. I'll give this edge an A-. 3 passes produced a BBS shave with no nicks or weepers and just a little alum sting. A great shave!
Finished with the matching splash and the a few spritzes of the L'eau Boisse. A great pairing IHMO.
Setup 5-17-2019
5-18-2019
Razor: Rockwell 6S (R4 plate)
Blade: Feather
Brush: Maggard Razors 24mm Black & White Synthetic Shaving Brush, Black Handle
Soap: A. J. Murray's Kentucky Bourbon
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Dickson's
After Shave: Epsilon Blue Mediterranean After Shave
Cologne: Suavecito Oscuro EdT
A. J. Murray's Kentucky Bourbon was selected as the soap today. The scent of this soap is more caramel that anything to my nose. I don't get any other bourbon notes from it. Still it's a good performing soap. Easy to lather and the lather hits all the marks.
3 passes with the Rockwell and I'm BBS+. No nicks or weepers. Just a little alum sting on the lower neck. A great shave!
Finished with the Epsilon Blue and then several spritzes of the Oscuro. That's work!
Setup 5-18-2019
(Had to put some Bourbon in this picture
)
5-22-2019
Straight Razor Shave #292
Razor: Clyde72 Twinworks 50¾
Brush: Fine Accoutrements Stout Angel Hair Synthetic 24mm
Soap: Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations Cedar & Saffron Wet Shave Soap with Moroccan Red Clay
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: American Shaving Co. Original Scent After Shave Balm
Cologne: Cremo Bergamot & Musk Solid Cologne
Haven't used this soap in a while. This is Lisa's old formula, but still a great performing soap. Love the scent of this soap and the performance is top notch! Whipped up a great lather and onto the shave!
3 passes and more than usual clean up. Some alum sting on the neck and chin. One small weeper on the upper chin/lower lip area. Going to have to give the Twinworks a refresher on the stones! Still a good BBS- shave.
Rubbed on some of the American Shaving Co. balm and then applied some of the Cremo Solid Cologne to the pulse points. The Bergamot & Musk scent of the cologne plays well with the "Barbershop" scent of the balm. I got about 4 hours longevity out to the solid cologne. Projection is okay.
Setup 5-22-2019
5-23-2019
Razor: X2 Gillette Tech w/Maggard Razors MR9 Handle
Blade: Feather
Brush: Simpson Commodore X3 in Best Badger
Soap: Cella Almond Shaving Cream
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Dickson's
After Shave: Pinaud Clubman After Shave Lotion
Cologne: Cremo Leather & Oud Solid Cologne
Just wanted a quick no muss no fuss kinda of shave today! I haven't use Cella in a while, and it's a solid performer so it was selected. Whipped up a great lather in no time with the Commodore. Love the almond scent of this soap!
3 passes with the X2 and I'm BBS+ with no nicks or weepers. Barely any noticeable alum sting. A great shave!
Finished with a good splash of Clubman and then some of the Cremo on the pulse points. Same performance as the Bergamot & Musk. Got about 4 hours and decent projection. FYI this was a nice pairing!
Setup 2-23-2019
Straight Razor Shave #291
Razor: Allegany Instrument Corp. WP
Brush: Wolf Whiskers Bishop "Party on Bourbon Street" with Elite Razor 28mm Manchurian White Knot
Soap: Soap Commander Respect
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: Soap Commander Respect Aftershave Spash
Cologne: Guerlain Homme L'eau Boisee EdT
Soap Commander Respect satisfied the Lime craving for today's shave. Of course there was no issues in whipping up a great lather. Typically great Soap Commander performance as expected.
The AIC was a needing a refresh and I wound up having to take it back to the Shapton Pro 8K and then 12K. Finishing it with the Translucent Arkansas. A good stropping and time for the shave test. I'll give this edge an A-. 3 passes produced a BBS shave with no nicks or weepers and just a little alum sting. A great shave!
Finished with the matching splash and the a few spritzes of the L'eau Boisse. A great pairing IHMO.
Setup 5-17-2019
5-18-2019
Razor: Rockwell 6S (R4 plate)
Blade: Feather
Brush: Maggard Razors 24mm Black & White Synthetic Shaving Brush, Black Handle
Soap: A. J. Murray's Kentucky Bourbon
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Dickson's
After Shave: Epsilon Blue Mediterranean After Shave
Cologne: Suavecito Oscuro EdT
A. J. Murray's Kentucky Bourbon was selected as the soap today. The scent of this soap is more caramel that anything to my nose. I don't get any other bourbon notes from it. Still it's a good performing soap. Easy to lather and the lather hits all the marks.
3 passes with the Rockwell and I'm BBS+. No nicks or weepers. Just a little alum sting on the lower neck. A great shave!
Finished with the Epsilon Blue and then several spritzes of the Oscuro. That's work!
Setup 5-18-2019
(Had to put some Bourbon in this picture
)5-22-2019
Straight Razor Shave #292
Razor: Clyde72 Twinworks 50¾
Brush: Fine Accoutrements Stout Angel Hair Synthetic 24mm
Soap: Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations Cedar & Saffron Wet Shave Soap with Moroccan Red Clay
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: American Shaving Co. Original Scent After Shave Balm
Cologne: Cremo Bergamot & Musk Solid Cologne
Haven't used this soap in a while. This is Lisa's old formula, but still a great performing soap. Love the scent of this soap and the performance is top notch! Whipped up a great lather and onto the shave!
3 passes and more than usual clean up. Some alum sting on the neck and chin. One small weeper on the upper chin/lower lip area. Going to have to give the Twinworks a refresher on the stones! Still a good BBS- shave.
Rubbed on some of the American Shaving Co. balm and then applied some of the Cremo Solid Cologne to the pulse points. The Bergamot & Musk scent of the cologne plays well with the "Barbershop" scent of the balm. I got about 4 hours longevity out to the solid cologne. Projection is okay.
Setup 5-22-2019
5-23-2019
Razor: X2 Gillette Tech w/Maggard Razors MR9 Handle
Blade: Feather
Brush: Simpson Commodore X3 in Best Badger
Soap: Cella Almond Shaving Cream
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Dickson's
After Shave: Pinaud Clubman After Shave Lotion
Cologne: Cremo Leather & Oud Solid Cologne
Just wanted a quick no muss no fuss kinda of shave today! I haven't use Cella in a while, and it's a solid performer so it was selected. Whipped up a great lather in no time with the Commodore. Love the almond scent of this soap!
3 passes with the X2 and I'm BBS+ with no nicks or weepers. Barely any noticeable alum sting. A great shave!
Finished with a good splash of Clubman and then some of the Cremo on the pulse points. Same performance as the Bergamot & Musk. Got about 4 hours and decent projection. FYI this was a nice pairing!
Setup 2-23-2019
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Great pics and catch up Craig
Van Winkle Special Reserve! That really is a treat! A friend of mine bought me a double of Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old one year when we were at an establishment that had it. I think he got it for a bargain at $30 a shot. So that was a $60 drink! Then we finished off the night with VWSR...It wasn't a cheap night for us. But man that stuff tastes good!
How was that Heart of Mystic?
Great shaves Craig...and good to see more of you lately!
How was that Heart of Mystic?
Great shaves Craig...and good to see more of you lately!
5-24-2019
Straight Razor Shave #293
Razor: Union Razor Cutlery Co.
Brush: Stirling Soap Co. Boar Brush - 24mm
Soap: Furbo Vintage Blu
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: Furbo Vintage Blu After Shave
Cologne: Murray & Lanman Florida Water Cologne
Was in the mood for a cooling shave after today's near record high temperatures here in Madison, AL. Furbo Vintage Blu has pretty much all the menthol I would want in a shaving soap. It's a great performer and the scent is a very nice "Blue" type scent. The Stirling boar had no issues at all whipping up a great lather. The cooling effect of the menthol in the lather felt refreshing today!
3 passes and some clean up with Grandad's razor and I'm BBS. One weeper on the lower mid neck, no nicks and other than the weeper no alum sting. A few nice shave. Think I'll take this razor back to the Trans Ark with the Twinworks just to be safe. It was a little noticeably less sharp. A touchup should bring it up to snuff.
Finished with the matching after shave, which also is right at my menthol limit, but again refreshing today. Some spritzes of the Florida Water and I'm all set!
Setup 5-24-2019
5-25-2019
Razor: RazoRock Mentor Head with Maggard Razors MR5 Blue Anodized Stainless Steel Handle
Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
Brush: Stirling Soap Co Synthetic 2-Band 24mm
Soap: Olivina Bourbon Cedar
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Dickson's
After Shave: Duke Cannon Ice Cold After-shave Balm
Cologne: Duke Cannon Bourbon Solid Cologne
I have the Olivina Flash Foam Shaving Cream and it was a good performing cream, after I added about a ounce of water to it, (well it seemed to be that much, it was a lot!) So I saw this soap on the Target website and decided to give it test.
1st of all the strength of scent is a 1 of 5, or less on the puck. Lathered the scent is basically none existent. If you inhale really deeply and long you can just get a slight whiff. The actual scent is quite nice, so disappointing that the scent is so weak. Now to the lathering. I went with a synthetic brush and used the SV method, meaning I bloomed the soap while I showered and dumped the remaining water, which wasn't much, into my scuttle. I loaded the brush for a good 30 seconds or so and the proto lather looked good. Started whipping up the lather in the scuttle and after adding a fair bit of water, it appeared I had a good lather. Well I was wrong. I didn't even get both cheeks lathered before the "Magic" lather started disappearing. Added more water, still not stable, more water, more water, and still more water. Now I have something that a least stays visible for about half of a pass. The slickness is great, glide/cushion is okay. I think it would be better if I could get a stable lather. Residual slickness was good. I kept adding water to the lather and by the clean up phase of the shave I had a lather in the scuttle that seemed to be stable. Overall at this point I'll give this soap an okay rating. Unless I can get the lather dialed in I won't be recommending it.
3 passes and some clean up with the Mentor, even fighting the lather produced a BBS+ Shave. No nicks, weepers, or alum sting. So all in all a good shave.
Finished by rubbing in some of the Duke Cannon Balm, and followed it with some of the Bourbon Solid Cologne on the pulse points. This is very nice scented cologne. The bourbon smell is more oak, smoke, caramel, and just a little sweetness than boozy. I got about 5 or 6 hours longevity and good projection.
Setup 5-25-2019
Straight Razor Shave #293
Razor: Union Razor Cutlery Co.
Brush: Stirling Soap Co. Boar Brush - 24mm
Soap: Furbo Vintage Blu
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: Furbo Vintage Blu After Shave
Cologne: Murray & Lanman Florida Water Cologne
Was in the mood for a cooling shave after today's near record high temperatures here in Madison, AL. Furbo Vintage Blu has pretty much all the menthol I would want in a shaving soap. It's a great performer and the scent is a very nice "Blue" type scent. The Stirling boar had no issues at all whipping up a great lather. The cooling effect of the menthol in the lather felt refreshing today!
3 passes and some clean up with Grandad's razor and I'm BBS. One weeper on the lower mid neck, no nicks and other than the weeper no alum sting. A few nice shave. Think I'll take this razor back to the Trans Ark with the Twinworks just to be safe. It was a little noticeably less sharp. A touchup should bring it up to snuff.
Finished with the matching after shave, which also is right at my menthol limit, but again refreshing today. Some spritzes of the Florida Water and I'm all set!
Setup 5-24-2019
5-25-2019
Razor: RazoRock Mentor Head with Maggard Razors MR5 Blue Anodized Stainless Steel Handle
Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
Brush: Stirling Soap Co Synthetic 2-Band 24mm
Soap: Olivina Bourbon Cedar
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Dickson's
After Shave: Duke Cannon Ice Cold After-shave Balm
Cologne: Duke Cannon Bourbon Solid Cologne
I have the Olivina Flash Foam Shaving Cream and it was a good performing cream, after I added about a ounce of water to it, (well it seemed to be that much, it was a lot!) So I saw this soap on the Target website and decided to give it test.
1st of all the strength of scent is a 1 of 5, or less on the puck. Lathered the scent is basically none existent. If you inhale really deeply and long you can just get a slight whiff. The actual scent is quite nice, so disappointing that the scent is so weak. Now to the lathering. I went with a synthetic brush and used the SV method, meaning I bloomed the soap while I showered and dumped the remaining water, which wasn't much, into my scuttle. I loaded the brush for a good 30 seconds or so and the proto lather looked good. Started whipping up the lather in the scuttle and after adding a fair bit of water, it appeared I had a good lather. Well I was wrong. I didn't even get both cheeks lathered before the "Magic" lather started disappearing. Added more water, still not stable, more water, more water, and still more water. Now I have something that a least stays visible for about half of a pass. The slickness is great, glide/cushion is okay. I think it would be better if I could get a stable lather. Residual slickness was good. I kept adding water to the lather and by the clean up phase of the shave I had a lather in the scuttle that seemed to be stable. Overall at this point I'll give this soap an okay rating. Unless I can get the lather dialed in I won't be recommending it.
3 passes and some clean up with the Mentor, even fighting the lather produced a BBS+ Shave. No nicks, weepers, or alum sting. So all in all a good shave.
Finished by rubbing in some of the Duke Cannon Balm, and followed it with some of the Bourbon Solid Cologne on the pulse points. This is very nice scented cologne. The bourbon smell is more oak, smoke, caramel, and just a little sweetness than boozy. I got about 5 or 6 hours longevity and good projection.
Setup 5-25-2019
Thanks Don!
$60 for a double of 23 year old Pappy was indeed a great price! Considering it goes for $1,500 to $2,500 a bottle and up on the secondary market.
The Van Winkle 12 was the 3rd version of "Pappy" that I've had. I've had the 10 year old, 15 year old, and now the 12 year old. The 12 was the smoothest of the 3, but the 15th is still the most flavorful. I hope to get able to taste the 20, 23, and Rye some day and if I get extremely lucky or win the lottery the 25 year old, which I think there was only 710 bottles of.
The Heart of Mystic was good, I don't remember the exact taste profile, but it was pretty smooth for a 112 barrel proof whiskey. I do remember liking it.
It was quite a few years ago...and I'm sure it wasn't $1500 a bottle then. But man it was some good stuff.
Interesting thing about Pappy, if you are willing to "Camp Out" and are lucky enough to get a bottle of the 23 year old, it was $275 a bottle at the state liquor store here in Alabama. You could have took that bottle walked out into the parking lot and said 23 year old for sale for $1000 and you would have been mobbed! Don't know how long ago you are talking about, but it's been that way for a long time.
One of the places around here once a year does a raffle for the really hard to get bottles of...whatever. The PVWs are always in there. Of course it's only one bottle of each. Anyway if you win the raffle you get the opportunity to buy it regular retail.
Maybe my friend lied to me to make me feel better. Or maybe I misheard him and he told me $60 per shot. That would be more in line I guess. I'll have to ask him next I see him. Either way, it was some good stuff.
Well this was going to be my Memorial Day shave, but after sleeping in and then my son showing up unexpectedly, I didn't even leave the house memorial day and since I took Tuesday off took, I wound up not shaving till Wednesday.
5-29-2019
Straight Razor Shave #294
Razor: Buck Salient #138 of 250
Brush: Parker Silver Tip Badger Faux Horn Handle
Soap: Dirty Bastard Soap Co. Freedom
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: Madame Scodioli Aged Bourbon Aftershave
Cologne: Madame Scodioli Aged Bourbon Scented Balm
Since this was meant to be a Memorial Day shave I had chosen Freedom as the soap today. This is a very soft croap, really it's a cream, you just dip your brush tips to load it. The Parker had no issues at all whipping up a great lather. This soap is unscented, so all you get is a very mild soapy scent. Performance is great! Easy to load and lather. Slickness, glide/cushion, residual slickness and stability are great!
The after 3 passes and some clean up the Buck produced a nice BBS shave. No nicks or weepers and just a tad bit of alum sting. A great shave!
Finished with some Madame Scodioli Aged Bourbon Aftershave. What a great performing and manly smelling aftershave. A nice dashing into the palm and it went on without any burn or oiliness. Rubbed in quickly and my face feels wonderful. The scent profile from the website: "Madame has based this alluring scent on her favorite single barrel bourbon: delicate floral notes on top of richly aged wood and warm vanilla, earthy spice and the slightest hint of cherry and caramel. Cheers, darlings." I don't get much floral notes, nor the cherry, but the rest is dead on. A very nice bourbon like scent! I like it! I got about 3 to 4 hours longevity. I also went with the Scented Balm (solid cologne). The scent profile is the same as the aftershave. I got pretty good projection and about 8 hours longevity.
Setup 5-29-2019
5-31-2019
Straight Razor Shave #295
Razor: Clyde72 Twinworks 50¾
Brush: The Shaving Cadre Brush Eric Sorrentino Barzini with 25MM Quartermoon synthetic knot
Soap: Soap Commander Dirty South Shavers 4th Annual Meetup
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Soap Commander Integrity Aftershave Balm
Cologne: Alt. Fragrance F'N Fantastic No. 15 EdP
The Meetup soap was chosen for today's shave. What a wonderful scent! Typically great Soap Commander performance. Whipped up a great lather and proceeded with the shave.
The Twinworks was a little tuggy the last time I used it so it was taken back to the Translucent Arkansas for a little touch up. Nice and sharp now. Smooth shave! 3 passes and just a little touch up produced a nice BBS shave. No nicks or weepers, and just a barely noticeable alum sting on the lower chin and lower neck.
Finished with the Integrity balm. My face feels great!
I have been seeing ads for Alt. Fragrances on facebook. They are a cologne company that is basing their scents on some of the popular scents out there, but at a much reduced price. I decided to order their sample pack, plus two other scents. I used the F'N Fantastic today. It is based on Tom Ford's F*cking Fabulous. I've never smelled Tom Ford's scent so I can't compare them. According to Alt. Fragrances website: "Think Eastern exoticism, combined with the warm leather of a gentleman’s club. There are also hints of almond bitter oil, tonka resin, clary sage oil and cashmeran; unusual notes that elevate this fragrance far above the usual masculine scents. If you’re looking to establish yourself in no uncertain terms, this is the only scent you’ll ever need to buy. F'n Fantastic, is a very distinct, versatile, masculine and above all sweet fragrance." I can't pick out any really distinctive notes myself. I do agree that is is a sweet fragrance, but still falls in the masculine range IHMO. I like this scent! Projection is good. Longevity was over 8 hours. This was a nice pairing to the Irving Park IHMO. The only complaint is the sprayer on the glass sample bottle is hard to get started and then it's full stroke because you have to apply so much force. Not a huge issue, but worth noting.
Setup 5-31-2019
6-1-2019
Straight Razor Shave #296
Razor: Clyde72 Twinworks 50¾
Brush: The Shaving Cadre Brush Eric Sorrentino Barzini with 25MM Quartermoon synthetic knot
Soap: Oleo Soapworks Irving Park
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: Oleo Soapworks Irving Park Aftershave Splash
Cologne: Alt. Fragrance Platinum Water No. 9
1st time using Oleo Soapworks products. Irving Park is their take on Yves Saint Laurent's Rive Gauche. Not sure if they based it on the original or the new, nor do I know if there is even any difference in those scents. I have the original and that's what I compared it too. So that being said it's a pretty good match scent wise. The YSL is a little more powdery to my nose. Other than that it's a good match. FYI to me Irving Park is more powdery that Fine Accoutrements American Blend. I do like the scent! Using the SV method I bloomed the soap while I was in the shower. The soap is mushable in the tub, but not soft. Strength of scent is a 2 of 5 in the tub and 2.5 of 5 lathered. The scent lasts for the entire shave. The soap loaded easily and I had no issues whipping up a lather in the scuttle. Performance was excellent! Great slickness, glide/cushion, and residual slickness. No stability issues at all.
The last time I used Grandad's razor it was getting tuggy, so back to the Translucent Arkansas for it. Successful trip! 3 passes and no nicks or weepers, no alum sting except just a tad on the chin. It was being stubborn today. A nice BBS+ shave.
Finished with the matching aftershave. The scent is pretty much dead on, sans the menthol. Not overpowering on the menthol efffect. A very nice performing splash! I got about 4 or 5 hours longevity.
I could have followed with the YSL Riva Gauche, but that would have been too easy.
Plus I've got these Alt. Fragrances samples to test. My nose said that the Platinum Water was a good pairing with the Irving Park. This scent was inspired by Creed Silver Mountain Water. Having never smelled Creed's scent I can't compare them. The scent description from Alt's website: "Aromas of citrus and bergamot are the first to be noticed, followed by a sharp, green-tea note, combined with blackberry. Then, the woody base notes of musk and sandalwood come through, resulting in a lingering fragrance that’s strong, sensuous and powerful." I like this scent also. The performance was pretty much the same as the F'N Fantastic. The sprayer has the same problem.
Setup 5-31-2019
5-29-2019
Straight Razor Shave #294
Razor: Buck Salient #138 of 250
Brush: Parker Silver Tip Badger Faux Horn Handle
Soap: Dirty Bastard Soap Co. Freedom
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: Madame Scodioli Aged Bourbon Aftershave
Cologne: Madame Scodioli Aged Bourbon Scented Balm
Since this was meant to be a Memorial Day shave I had chosen Freedom as the soap today. This is a very soft croap, really it's a cream, you just dip your brush tips to load it. The Parker had no issues at all whipping up a great lather. This soap is unscented, so all you get is a very mild soapy scent. Performance is great! Easy to load and lather. Slickness, glide/cushion, residual slickness and stability are great!
The after 3 passes and some clean up the Buck produced a nice BBS shave. No nicks or weepers and just a tad bit of alum sting. A great shave!
Finished with some Madame Scodioli Aged Bourbon Aftershave. What a great performing and manly smelling aftershave. A nice dashing into the palm and it went on without any burn or oiliness. Rubbed in quickly and my face feels wonderful. The scent profile from the website: "Madame has based this alluring scent on her favorite single barrel bourbon: delicate floral notes on top of richly aged wood and warm vanilla, earthy spice and the slightest hint of cherry and caramel. Cheers, darlings." I don't get much floral notes, nor the cherry, but the rest is dead on. A very nice bourbon like scent! I like it! I got about 3 to 4 hours longevity. I also went with the Scented Balm (solid cologne). The scent profile is the same as the aftershave. I got pretty good projection and about 8 hours longevity.
Setup 5-29-2019
5-31-2019
Straight Razor Shave #295
Razor: Clyde72 Twinworks 50¾
Brush: The Shaving Cadre Brush Eric Sorrentino Barzini with 25MM Quartermoon synthetic knot
Soap: Soap Commander Dirty South Shavers 4th Annual Meetup
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
Aftershave: Soap Commander Integrity Aftershave Balm
Cologne: Alt. Fragrance F'N Fantastic No. 15 EdP
The Meetup soap was chosen for today's shave. What a wonderful scent! Typically great Soap Commander performance. Whipped up a great lather and proceeded with the shave.
The Twinworks was a little tuggy the last time I used it so it was taken back to the Translucent Arkansas for a little touch up. Nice and sharp now. Smooth shave! 3 passes and just a little touch up produced a nice BBS shave. No nicks or weepers, and just a barely noticeable alum sting on the lower chin and lower neck.
Finished with the Integrity balm. My face feels great!
I have been seeing ads for Alt. Fragrances on facebook. They are a cologne company that is basing their scents on some of the popular scents out there, but at a much reduced price. I decided to order their sample pack, plus two other scents. I used the F'N Fantastic today. It is based on Tom Ford's F*cking Fabulous. I've never smelled Tom Ford's scent so I can't compare them. According to Alt. Fragrances website: "Think Eastern exoticism, combined with the warm leather of a gentleman’s club. There are also hints of almond bitter oil, tonka resin, clary sage oil and cashmeran; unusual notes that elevate this fragrance far above the usual masculine scents. If you’re looking to establish yourself in no uncertain terms, this is the only scent you’ll ever need to buy. F'n Fantastic, is a very distinct, versatile, masculine and above all sweet fragrance." I can't pick out any really distinctive notes myself. I do agree that is is a sweet fragrance, but still falls in the masculine range IHMO. I like this scent! Projection is good. Longevity was over 8 hours. This was a nice pairing to the Irving Park IHMO. The only complaint is the sprayer on the glass sample bottle is hard to get started and then it's full stroke because you have to apply so much force. Not a huge issue, but worth noting.
Setup 5-31-2019
6-1-2019
Straight Razor Shave #296
Razor: Clyde72 Twinworks 50¾
Brush: The Shaving Cadre Brush Eric Sorrentino Barzini with 25MM Quartermoon synthetic knot
Soap: Oleo Soapworks Irving Park
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block, and Humphreys Witch Hazel
After Shave: Oleo Soapworks Irving Park Aftershave Splash
Cologne: Alt. Fragrance Platinum Water No. 9
1st time using Oleo Soapworks products. Irving Park is their take on Yves Saint Laurent's Rive Gauche. Not sure if they based it on the original or the new, nor do I know if there is even any difference in those scents. I have the original and that's what I compared it too. So that being said it's a pretty good match scent wise. The YSL is a little more powdery to my nose. Other than that it's a good match. FYI to me Irving Park is more powdery that Fine Accoutrements American Blend. I do like the scent! Using the SV method I bloomed the soap while I was in the shower. The soap is mushable in the tub, but not soft. Strength of scent is a 2 of 5 in the tub and 2.5 of 5 lathered. The scent lasts for the entire shave. The soap loaded easily and I had no issues whipping up a lather in the scuttle. Performance was excellent! Great slickness, glide/cushion, and residual slickness. No stability issues at all.
The last time I used Grandad's razor it was getting tuggy, so back to the Translucent Arkansas for it. Successful trip! 3 passes and no nicks or weepers, no alum sting except just a tad on the chin. It was being stubborn today. A nice BBS+ shave.
Finished with the matching aftershave. The scent is pretty much dead on, sans the menthol. Not overpowering on the menthol efffect. A very nice performing splash! I got about 4 or 5 hours longevity.
I could have followed with the YSL Riva Gauche, but that would have been too easy.
Plus I've got these Alt. Fragrances samples to test. My nose said that the Platinum Water was a good pairing with the Irving Park. This scent was inspired by Creed Silver Mountain Water. Having never smelled Creed's scent I can't compare them. The scent description from Alt's website: "Aromas of citrus and bergamot are the first to be noticed, followed by a sharp, green-tea note, combined with blackberry. Then, the woody base notes of musk and sandalwood come through, resulting in a lingering fragrance that’s strong, sensuous and powerful." I like this scent also. The performance was pretty much the same as the F'N Fantastic. The sprayer has the same problem.Setup 5-31-2019